Description

The ▄Mustang Mk IA is a premium rank III British fighter
with a battle rating of 4.0 (AB/SB) and 3.7 (RB). It was in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.29. It costs 1,850 Golden Eagles.

The Mustang Mk IA is equipped in the same manner as the American original P-51 with four 20 mm cannons in the wing and Allison engine. The Mustang Mk IA takes on a two-tone desert camouflage as default with a light blue underbelly, making it quite distinguishable in the airspace. Distinguishable identifications towards the Royal Air Force are seen with roundels on the wings and rear fuselage, with a red, white, blue fin flash.

General info

Flight Performance

Characteristics

Stock

Max Speed(km/h at 5,200 m)

Max altitude(meters)

Turn time(seconds)

Rate of climb(meters/second)

Take-off run(meters)

AB

RB

AB

RB

AB

RB

591

578

8,839

21.6

22.2

8.5

8.5

491

Upgraded

Max Speed(km/h at 5,200 m)

Max altitude (meters)

Turn time (seconds)

Rate of climb(meters/second)

Take-off run (meters)

AB

RB

AB

RB

AB

RB

?

?

8,839

??.?

??.?

?.?

?.?

491

Details

Features

Combat flap

Take-off flap

Landing flap

Air brakes

Arrestor gear

✓

✓

✓

X

X

Limits

Wing-break speed(km/h)

Gear limit(km/h)

Combat flap (km/h)

Max Static G

+

-

845

295

652

~15

~8

Optimal velocities

Ailerons(km/h)

Rudder(km/h)

Elevators(km/h)

Radiator(km/h)

< 600

< 425

< 440

> 210

Compressor (RB/SB)

Setting 1

Optimal altitude

100% Engine power

WEP Engine power

3,597 m

1,150 hp

1,599 hp

Survivability and armour

38 mm Bulletproof glass - Armored windscreen

6.35 mm Steel plate in front of the engine

6.35 mm Steel plate between the engine and pilot

11.11 mm Steel plate behind the pilot

Armaments

Offensive armament

Usage in the battles

The Mustang Mk-1A is similar to its bigger brother (or in some ways smaller) in the fact that it carries many good and bad traits. Interestingly, it inherits much of the advantages of the P-51D while adding some of its own good characteristics. High altitude performance is miserable, but it won't get there any time soon with the sluggish climb rate. Top speed is very good, yet achieving it can take some time due to the slow acceleration. Low-altitude manoeuvrability is decent.

The Mk-1A is equipped with four Hispano 20 mm cannons, making it a formidable firing platform. However, these cannon will run out of ammo, due to the sparse 125 rpg. They will jam quickly too. Take advantage of the cannon though, because when compared to other nation's counterparts the MK-1A can make rapid kills of any plane. Air targets belts are recommended for experienced players; they possess the most HE shells out of any belt, but lack tracers. Unlike in the Typhoon series, the guns on the Mustang are mounted in close proximity, dealing a deadly double punch when hitting. Very similar to the Spitfire Mk.Vc which has 5 rounds per gun less than the Mustang.

Unfortunately, the Mustang Mk-1A is not a great Boom & Zoom fighter nor a great turn-fighter; it is a trade-off between the great high-altitude performance of the P-51D and its own average all-altitude performance. The top speed is only middling, although top speed and dive-speed are excellent. Climb rate is relatively poor, at only 13 m/s. To top that off, it has an average turn-rate as well. Thus, the Mk-1A is a great plane for head on's, tail-end combat, and in very few cases, turn fighting. At low altitudes, turning is very snappy provided you have the speed. The engine is prone to overheating relatively (and annoyingly) quickly in realistic and simulator battles. Additionally, a small amount of damage taken by the engine can result in its destruction, which is relatively annoying while attacking bombers. Additionally, the cockpit is a great downfall, as it provides poor visibility.

A Mustang with altitude is a dangerous Mustang. Try to take out a Mustang, you must do what you can to rob it of its altitude advantage by either climbing above it or bringing it down to the Earth. The latter can be easily done if the Mustang pilot is aggressive and will eagerly tail an enticing target in a dive down to low altitude. In this case, one can rely on bleeding the Mustang of its speed as it pursues its target or when it returns to a climb and use this opportunity to pounce the Mustang.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements

Mixer

Pitch

Radiator

Supercharger

Turbocharger

Oil

Water

Type

Controllable

Not controllable

Not controllable

Not controllable

Separate

Not ontrollable

Not controllable

Modules

Tier

Flight performance

Survivability

Weaponry

I

Fuselage Repair

Radiator

Offensive 20 mm

II

Compressor

Airframe

New 20 mm Cannons

III

Wings Repair

Engine

Mk.II year 1942

IV

Engine Injecton

Cover

Mk.II year 1943

Pros and cons

Pros:

Punishing armament of four Hispano Mk. II

Amazing acceleration at low altitude

Good top speed

Good manoeuvrability (roll+pitch) at high speed (max @ 600 kph)

High energy retention in level flight

Decent climb rate, until 3,000 m

Great RP and reward bonus due to premium status

Cons:

Rather low ammo, with 125 RPG

Loses a lot of energy in sustained turns

Poor engine performance at alt > 4,000 m

Engine overheats rather quickly

Poor backward visibility in simulator mode due to cockpit design

No G-Suit, can black out easily in high-speed manoeuvres

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.

In-game descripton

The North American P-51 Mustang was a single seat fighter which was designed, developed and entered service all during the course of the Second World War. The origins of the aircraft came about in April 1940, when the British Purchasing Commission approached the North American aviation company to design a fighter to augment those already in service with RAF Fighter Command. The prototype first flew on October 26th 1940 and, after a highly successful test and evaluation period, 320 aircraft were ordered and the first production aircraft flew on May 1st 1941. Delivered to No.26 Squadron at Gatwick, the new American fighter was designated the Mustang Mk.I by the RAF. It was considered to be superior to any other American fighter at the time, particularly at low level. However, the 1100 hp Allison V-1710 engine had a poorer performance at high altitude, particularly above 15,000 feet which was above where the engine supercharger was optimized for.

For this reason, the Mustangs were used in support of ground operations rather than in their intended original role as a fighter. The Mustang was very successful in this role and an additional order for a further 300 aircraft was placed. The new batch was modified by fitting self sealing fuel tanks and replacing the earlier Mustangs’ eight machine guns with a new armament of four 20mm cannon, to create the Mustang Mk.IA. The RAF’s successes with the Mustang led to a good deal of attention from the United States Army Air Force; after highlighting the fighter’s only serious shortcoming as its high altitude performance, enquiries were made into fitting the aircraft with a different engine.

The British Rolls-Royce Merlin was selected for testing in five converted Mustangs, and the performance of the fighter increased dramatically. The airframe and wings were strengthened to harness the power of the Merlin engine, which also resulted in the fitting of under wing stores now being an option. Mustangs could now carry bombs, rockets or long range drop tanks. Now more than capable of competing across all altitude bands and boasting a particularly long range for a single engine fighter, the Mustang was rapidly evolving into one of the most capable air assets of the entire war. However, with British and American interest in the fighter still growing, future variants of the Mustang would show yet more improvements.

Generally regarded as the greatest American fighter of the Second World War, Mustang pilots were to claim nearly 5,000 air-to-air kills by the end of the conflict. The Mustang would go on to serve the USAF in the Korean War, and was exported to over 50 foreign air forces.

Media

Skins and camouflages for the British Mustang Mk.I from live.warthunder.com. There are two search terms currently in use:* * #mustangmk1a and the very similar

#mustang_ia, but both will show very different selection of skins, so browse through both.